Heralds: Book 1
by To-The-Stars345
Summary: The effect Max and her flock had on the school was dramatic to say the least. But for several young mutants it is nothing short of life changing when they are among the few that escape into the world. But was their escape just good fortune? Or is something bigger going on? Full summary inside. SYOC.


Heralds: Book 1

Summary

The effect Max and her flock had on the school was dramatic to say the least. But for several young mutants it is nothing short of life changing when they are among the few that manage to escape into the outside world. And when a strange occurrence brings them together, they are driven towards an unknown destination with the will to live the only thing keeping them going. If they want to survive, they must work together to combat the dangers their very existence brings. But was their escape just good fortune? Or is there some bigger plan at work here?

**A/N: What's up my fanfic peeps! Hands up, how many of you thought I died? Sorry the story got removed before anyone could submit! But please, enjoy the first chapter I wrote as a peace offering! And don't worry, I still fully intend to make the awesome story I promised.**

Chapter 1

_We are not numbers._

Whether Angel knew it or not, the thoughts she planted in the minds of hundreds that night were more than what she meant them to be.

What she _had_ meant was to stir them, to rile them into action in hopes the outbreak would be enough distraction to cover the Flock's escape. But the thoughts turned into much more than that when they mixed with frustration and anger that was already near over boiling. They became the truth, a truth so personal and real that there was no way it could be wrong. It became something to fight for.

_We're not numbers! We're people too. They can't do this to us. We want to live! _

And in light of the new thoughts, hundreds of faces twisted out of their impassive expressions and the cry they took up was not only one of outrage, but hurt and betrayal as well. Angel may not have known what she had done, but there was someone did. And as the change happened on the faces of her charges, the Director did something she'd never done before. She lost it.

She lost control. Literally and figuratively speaking. She lost control of the mutants when they began pouring from the stands, and of herself when she began screaming for someone, _anyone, _to stop them.

The Flyboys were no help, and the few Erasers that had not been retired yet joined the mutant uprising with little hesitation. Smashing away their robotic replacements with an almost insane glee evident on their canine faces. And as the robots fell, the organics rushed forward. The strength of hundreds in one movement. And before anyone really knew what had happened the halls were filled with mutants looking for a way out. It was a disaster, a nightmare. And there was no way she could fix it.

So now, four weeks after the fiasco was over, the Director had a new nightmare to face as she lay patched up and sterile in an Itex hospital. Earlier that day she had had what the doctors referred to as "a fit". A full two minutes of screaming and hitting at anything that came within range. Quite unbecoming.

It wasn't her fault though, as she tried to reason with herself. It just happened. The result was a powerful cocktail of sedatives that kept her conscious, but put a dreamy cast into the air. And with nothing else to do, the Director had spent most of the day enjoying the show of yellow and green caterpillars parade around the walls of her room.

It wasn't until a man named Joseph Haylan had sauntered in that she snapped partially back to the real world. At least long enough for him to open a briefcase full of documents and flash a badge that ranked him just below the Director herself. He was a tall, angled man with a smile too perfect to be natural. Handsome. But off somehow.

Somewhere in the back of her drug calmed mind, the Director recalled how a rodent based mutant had been introduced several years before. The experiment only produced stupid, constantly hungry offspring and was quickly canceled, but the idea was nagging at her. Haylan didn't look anything like the abominations, but still the vapid thought manifested itself: _Rat_.

She smiled at him though, a wide childish grin infinitely different from the professional indifference she had so often adopted.

Haylan smiled back at her, holding it well as he took a seat in the Doctor's rotating stool. He picked up his briefcase then, opening it as he spoke. And about three hours later he managed to get to the point despite being interrupted every third word by incoherent babbling or singing.

"Now the fact is Director we aren't happy with what happened." He said, the smile still plastered on his face. Though by now it was more sheer willpower than anything else.

The Director wrinkled her nose at him. She wasn't happy either, she explained, because one of the nurses had brought her a jello cup with her lunch. But now there were bugs in it and she couldn't eat those.

"I want you to know that things may turn out better than expected. We've had a plan for the retirement. One we've been working on for awhile and-"

The Director laughed out loud, effectively cutting Haylan off again. "It's okay." She cackled, "There are plenty of places to retire to. I'll bring the caterpillars in the suitcase, they won't mind. They're very optimistic you know!" She gestured with one hand to illustrate the grandness of the caterpillar attitude. And Haylan rolled his eyes.

The shellshock had been expected. But the absolute lunacy that had been reported since her admission was evidence of something deeper. The violence, the screaming, the hallucinating, they had wanted her to recover but none of the drugs were helping. The Director was too far gone i seemed.

He felt a twinge of guilt as he rifled through his briefcase. A powerful woman degraded into a stuttering idiot was no use anymore. And the question remained: What do you do with a faulty equation?

Haylan knew, though he took no pleasure in it. And when he found the syringe they had given him he hesitated for just a moment before adding the contents into the IV. It was better this way he supposed.

Gathering his belongings, Joseph Haylan shook the Director's free hand with both of his, wishing her luck, joy, and a speedy recovery. And on his way down the long corridors of hospital he smiled amiably at a group of young female nurses.

He was a small man in a big world. But that was a fine thing to be in his case.

**A/N: WOOH! Glad I got it done. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and if you did review and tell me how I can make it even better! **

**And before I forget, you can still submit an OC if you want. I'm closing submissions on the 19th, so you have ten days! Form is still on my profile, and you can PM me anytime. Until next time guys.**

**Fly on!**


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